Wielder's Awakening Read Online Free PDF Page B

back at the village.  This would be the last time he saw it for a while.  He realized that he really wasn’t going to miss the village so much, but he was going to miss his grandparents.  They had raised him for a good part of his life, and he hadn’t been away from them in the past twelve years for more than a few days.  He was going to be strong though.  It would not make his grandmother feel any better seeing him crying.  He put a smile on his face and turned to his grandparents.
    “Well, I guess this is it.”
    “Not quite yet Traven,” his grandmother replied.  “We still have a few things to give you and some advice for dealing with people in the world outside of our blessed village.”  Out from under her seat she pulled another small pack and handed it to Traven.  As he peered into it he found several dried biscuits, a large chunk of cheese, and some dried fruit.  “We don’t want you to starve on your journey.  This isn’t a lot, but it should be enough for you to snack on until you reach the shepherd community tonight.  When you finally get to the city of Kavar you can purchase more traveling food.”
    With the mention of purchasing more food, Traven realized for the first time that he didn’t have any money.  It was going to be a very long trip indeed.
    “Mams, I hate to tell you this, but I don’t have money to buy anything when I get to Kavar.”
    “I still haven’t given you my gift,” Traven’s grandfather said.
    He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag.  He tossed it up to his grandson.  Traven realized immediately that it was full of coins.  By the feel of it, there were quite a few.  When he looked into the small bag, to his surprise he discovered that more of the coins were gold than they were silver or copper.
    “I can’t take this much money from you,” he protested.  “You and Mams need it more than I do after all the money you’ve spent on me already.  Here, take it back.  I’ll get along alright.”
    “I thought you had some common sense.  How do you expect to pay for food and lodgings on your way to Calyn?  Did you expect everyone to just give you stuff for free?”  His grandfather paused before continuing to let what he was saying sink in.  “You’re also going to need a little extra money once you get to school for any unexpected expenses.  You’re not going to be receiving money every month from your wealthy parents like most of the other boys.  It’s just the money we got yesterday from the load we took to the mill, and we already have another small load to deliver.  Besides, how else do you expect to get money if you don’t take this with you?”
    “I guess I really never thought about it.”  Traven knew that he really did need the money.  Maybe not quite so much, but his grandparents would probably be hurt if he refused any of it.  It was technically half his anyway.  He decided to make them happy.  “I’m sorry.  Thank you so much for it.” He began to tie it onto his belt next to his own money pouch that held just a few coppers.
    “Are you crazy boy!  Don’t leave all of that money out in plain sight or you’re just asking for trouble.  Take out a few coins and put them in your money pouch.  Leave the rest in the bag and hide it among the clothes in your pack.”
    Traven immediately followed his grandfather’s instructions.  He took a gold piece and two silvers and put them in his money pouch.  He then buried the rest in his pack.
    “You’re not going to be in a small village anymore.  You need to be careful about how you present yourself and who’s watching you.  Once you get into the cities, there are thieves everywhere just waiting to steal anything they can get their hands on.  They don’t care who you are or what you’re doing.  The shop keepers are just waiting to cheat those who are ignorant.  If they think you have lots of money, they’ll charge you more than they would a poor person.